04-19-2023, 08:00 PM
Badge in hand, Kaelan straightened himself out as though preparing to march before the execution squad with his head held high. Then from among the many eyes staring at him patiently emerged another child. He was taller than the others, but his face was smooth and his frame lean from a youth whose height was pulled faster than he could fill in the frame with muscle. Kaelan remembered those days well.
He was careful not to not present himself rudely. Management was adamant that their composure be guarded at all time when facing the public. Paragon Group had a stellar reputation that the employees extended to themselves. It was with a swell of relief that the young man who confronted him stated that he was needed imminently. The request struck him strange. He’d not spoken with Mr. Haart in some time. He simply did not cross paths often with the CEO. His reports, however, frequently filtered the long climb up the ladder to the pinnacle of the building. If Ephriam Haart read them, Kaelan wasn’t aware. Nor did he really care so long as the balance sheet of his funding remained in the positive and the samples continued to populate his freezers.
This was Liam Haart, he quickly identified. He’d seen the boy from afar plenty of times. He thought he’d spied Liam climb in and out of the employee bunks from time to time. Kaelan had to school himself from frowning at the informal ‘doc’ title. If any liberties were to be taken, he’d prefer to simply be called Kaelan over the insult of demeaning the intense years of work that earned the right to use the pedigree. But Liam was children, and children were disrespectful loud-mouths. Every generation said the same for the following. Kaelan supposed he was evolving into one of the former.
“I’m sorry. It seems I’m urgently needed elsewhere. Enjoy your…” he scanned the wide eyes looking back at him as if they were floating marbles he might pluck from midair… “tour of Paragon Museum,” he nodded and slipped behind the door in Liam’s company.
As soon as they were sealed safely beyond, he looked down at the young man. A voice in his head reminded him to not be rude and that this was the CEO’s son. But was Liam testing him? He thoughtfully examined the boy’s expression for signs.
“I am always ready to represent Paragon to the best of my ability,” he practically quoted an HR training module for that statement. Oh the horror of HR training videos.
The corridor was lit with the bright service lighting that was distinctly unpleasant compared to the flashy museum and artistic lobby behind. He’d not been in this passageway before, but he assumed it must lead him to the back elevators eventually.
Since that voice told him to not be rude, the same said that it was the proper moment to introduce himself. That was how people behaved with one another. All concerned with their names and rituals to establish the same sort of heirarchy that dominated other pack mammals. Except in this moment, Kaelan knew he was not on top, not in the company of the son of their alpha.
He offered to shake the young man’s hand: “Kaelan Müller. Genome Division,” he said.
He was careful not to not present himself rudely. Management was adamant that their composure be guarded at all time when facing the public. Paragon Group had a stellar reputation that the employees extended to themselves. It was with a swell of relief that the young man who confronted him stated that he was needed imminently. The request struck him strange. He’d not spoken with Mr. Haart in some time. He simply did not cross paths often with the CEO. His reports, however, frequently filtered the long climb up the ladder to the pinnacle of the building. If Ephriam Haart read them, Kaelan wasn’t aware. Nor did he really care so long as the balance sheet of his funding remained in the positive and the samples continued to populate his freezers.
This was Liam Haart, he quickly identified. He’d seen the boy from afar plenty of times. He thought he’d spied Liam climb in and out of the employee bunks from time to time. Kaelan had to school himself from frowning at the informal ‘doc’ title. If any liberties were to be taken, he’d prefer to simply be called Kaelan over the insult of demeaning the intense years of work that earned the right to use the pedigree. But Liam was children, and children were disrespectful loud-mouths. Every generation said the same for the following. Kaelan supposed he was evolving into one of the former.
“I’m sorry. It seems I’m urgently needed elsewhere. Enjoy your…” he scanned the wide eyes looking back at him as if they were floating marbles he might pluck from midair… “tour of Paragon Museum,” he nodded and slipped behind the door in Liam’s company.
As soon as they were sealed safely beyond, he looked down at the young man. A voice in his head reminded him to not be rude and that this was the CEO’s son. But was Liam testing him? He thoughtfully examined the boy’s expression for signs.
“I am always ready to represent Paragon to the best of my ability,” he practically quoted an HR training module for that statement. Oh the horror of HR training videos.
The corridor was lit with the bright service lighting that was distinctly unpleasant compared to the flashy museum and artistic lobby behind. He’d not been in this passageway before, but he assumed it must lead him to the back elevators eventually.
Since that voice told him to not be rude, the same said that it was the proper moment to introduce himself. That was how people behaved with one another. All concerned with their names and rituals to establish the same sort of heirarchy that dominated other pack mammals. Except in this moment, Kaelan knew he was not on top, not in the company of the son of their alpha.
He offered to shake the young man’s hand: “Kaelan Müller. Genome Division,” he said.
![[Image: Kaelan-Signature-1.png]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Kaelan-Signature-1.png)